...I wish he'd just stop going on about it and concentrate on what he can control.
Hear hear. The book's out there, haven't read it and I probably won't - not for that steep price (for the postage to Holland alone, I'd have to sell a child and a few belongings to cough that up!) and not after comments from various ex members, and readers. It was once on my wishlist and now it's not.
I wouldn't know about inside stuff that is or isn't in there, and is or isn't accurate, for I wasn't there, but ... the very simple fact that it makes Maart come out of Leeds instead of Manchester is so sloppy for such a basic simple little fact, it's beyond belief. Having spotted a fair few inaccuracies myself in the Free Reed boxset books when they came out (no example off the top of my head, I just remember having read things which were wrong, as in Cropredy details of years I was there myself), I have to believe what Swarb says about it being riddled with mistakes is true.
But who to blame - wasn't it more a collective mistake, misremembered things, oversights, so long ago, old interview bits used actually being inaccurate, etc etc etc?
Nigel Schofield I suppose was commissioned to do this because the publisher and the current band trusted him with the matter. And he probably did the best he felt he could with the means he had. Who was sloppy? The writer, the proofreader, the interviewees' memory, the publisher, the deadline, the passing of 45+ years, a combination of all? It's a little easy to put Nigel Schofield in the corner and brand him a bad boy. Or current Fairporters.
On Facebook Swarb goes on and on and on and on and on and on (on and on and on and on and on and on) about it. The book is out there, warts 'n all however well presented as a luxury book by the outside looks of it, and there's very little to do about that now. Other than for Swarb to write his own book (and that would be his view: who says THAT is 200% accurate? Swarb will, sure - but however big a role he had, he ain't all Fairport).
This book is called "Fairport by Fairport". Guess it ain't the best of titles then, unless with Fairport they mean: the five who are Fairport now: the way THEY remember it, or even the way they choose to present it. Would "Fairport by Swarb" end up a faultless gospel no-one objects to? We shall see, if this happens at all - by all means, let him write it, instead of endlessly bemoaning what's already out there. Maart was fairly vocal about inaccuracies as well, but he made his point and moved on. Life's too short. Music's too precious.
After all those comments, I have been convinced not to bother with the book, anyway. Maybe at best I will if it ever becomes an eBay cheapo, but I doubt it will.
But, Facebookswarb, move on, ye made yer point already. Is it in anyone's advantage at all to get nastier than abolutely needed? In one of his later writings, he asks if he could have copies of all the Free Reed box set books. I trust this means he never bothered much about their content before?
